Penzance flying sites
Note: This map only shows the position of the now defunct heliport.
PENZANCE see also GREAT ROSEVIDNEY FARM
PENZANCE see also NEWLYN
PENZANCE see also St ERTH
PENZANCE: Temporary airfield or beach site?
NOTES: It appears Claude Grahame-White used a site in/near Penzance on the 25th July 1910 when attempting to take advantage of flying over the Coronation Fleet Review. Another account says it was the Combined Fleets Review in Mounts Bay and Grahame-White did indeed fly over it.
Another story goes: “Inclement weather caused the Review to be switched to Torbay” and Grahame-White, (the author spelt his name ‘Graham-White’), attempted to fly across from Penzance, aborting the attempt in Camborne from where he transported his Farman to Newton Abbot. His Farman was then delivered to Torre Abbey near Torquay for final assembly. All this may well be true? And, we all make spelling mistakes!
PENZANCE: Temporary flying site 1913
NOTES: This picture, courtesy of G. Wakeman, has been scanned from the excellent book Cornwall Aviation Company by Ted Chapman published in 1979.
In the years before WW1 Gustav Hamel, (an Englishman), along with the French aviator Henri Salmet and Claude Grahame-White (another English aviator) were the 'super-stars' of that era, touring around mostly England and giving displays of flying which attracted huge crowds. Invariably a sumptuous civic reception was included and quite often, if the display occurred on a weekday, a public holiday was declared.
PENZANCE: Temporary seaplane landing/operating area (PENZANCE HARBOUR WET DOCK)
NOTES: Pictures taken at the time proves that Henri Salmet did, at some point in his 1914 tour, have his Blériot on floats in Penzance. (I now know they were fitted at PAIGNTON). It was also his intention to carry passengers, (one at a time of course), at every destination on this tour. He failed to achieve this aim at PAIGNTON but did fly several passengers from FALMOUTH before his engine failed - see FALMOUTH.
It appears he then departed for Barnstaple, having had it converted to wheels. See the listing for EASTERN GREEN for a fuller account.
PENZANCE: Civil regional airport (Very likely the later heliport - see seperate entry below)
Note: Can anybody kindly confirm this?
Notes: This illustration was provided by Dr Anne Taver; Nottinghamshire County Achive Service.
NOTES: A destination for Channel Air Ferries, Provincial Airways and Western Airways in the 1930s. But where did they land? Having seen the present day PENZANCE heliport both from the air and the ground this site certainly has the ‘stamp’ of being an ideal ‘airport’ if used by DH Dragons and Fox Moths etc.
PENZANCE: Civil heliport
Note: The first picture came from the John Stroud Collection and the copyright is probably - British European Airways? The second (2005) picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
Operated by: 1975: BEA then British Airways (BA) operations serving Scilly Isles.
2000: British International
Location: S of the A394, 0.6nm NE of Penzance
Period of operation: 1960s (?) to October 2012
Landing area: 2000: Grass strip 09/27 379x45. Asphalt landing pad in centre of strip 30x30m
A MIKE CHARLTON GALLERY
These pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See: www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
First picture: Maybe, at long last after years of effort, I really am becoming something of an 'anorak', because I have found looking up the history of this aircraft actually quite interesting. I have never come across such a mess within the records before.
So, as far as I can make out, this S-61N-11 was CF-OKY before being imported, and registered to International Helicopters from the 21st June 1965 until the 3rd of August 1970. Then can you believe, the records show it registered to BEA, (crossed out), and British Airways at DYCE (ABERDEEN). Simultaneously, (and at the same time!), it was registered to British International Helicopters, also from the 3rd August 1970 until the 29th January 1993.
I think I can guess what was going on? BEA/British Airways had decided to sub-contract the PENZANCE to SCILLY ISLES service?
Fourth picture: It appears that G-ASNL was registered to BEA Helicopters from the 31st December 1963 until the 9th July 1968, when it went to Holland. Clearly a pretty serious mistake as the the entry should have been - The Netherlands. However, within just over a year, it was back in the UK registered to British Airways Helicopters (GATWICK) from the 2nd October 1969 until the 31st October 1983 when it was sold to the USA.
Fifth picture: Here again the registration records are a complete mess. G-AWFX was iinitially registerted to BEA Helicopters on the 3rd of April 1968, this entry is crossed out and British Airways Helicopters at DYCE (ABERDEEN AIRPORT) is put in instead. However, on exactly the same date, (03/04.68), it appears to be registered to British International Helicopters who operated Foxtrot Zulu until the 12th May 1988.
Sixth picture: G-AYOY had a long history with various operators, until 2011 at least. I am assuming that this picture was probably taken when British Airways Helicopters (GATWICK) operated Oscar Yankee from the 7th January 1971 until the 12th June 1984? It then went to British Caledonian Helicopters at DYCE (ABERDEEN AIRPORT) from the 13th June 1984 until the 15th July 1985, when, on the 31st July 1985 it reverted back to British Airways Helicopters, also at DYCE.
Seventh picture: This Sikorsky S-61N, G-BFFJ, was first registered to British International Helicopters on the 17th January 1978. It then went to their subsidiary companies along the way, before reverting to British International until the 3rd July 2013.
NOTES: Have any fixed wing aircraft ever used this site? See listing above.
THE NEW PENZANCE HELIPORT
In May 2023 I was very kindly contacted by Mr Mark Taylor who pointed this out. Have to admit I knew nothing of this, but of course, spending so much of my time delving into the past, I often miss the latest developments.
Note: The aerial view was obtained from Google Earth ©. The local view and the area view are from my Google Earth © derived database.
Operated by: Penzance Helicopters
Location: Less than 500 metres NE of the original heliport
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